


Strawberries & Cigarettes

by conboimckinky



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-19 21:58:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14246601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conboimckinky/pseuds/conboimckinky
Summary: Marvin is starting his final year in college in a whole new state. He's sick of feeling stuck- like he's missing out on something. This year will be different; he's sure of it.And the tall, handsome stranger on the train tracks seems like the perfect person to help.





	1. Light My Cigarette

Marvin didn't smoke.  
In fact, he did nothing of the sort. He was always a handful- struggling with anger issues and getting into too many fights- but he never got drunk, nor did he smoke. In fact, his fierce personality and short temper landed him in a perpetual state of loneliness. Aside from his tendancy to punch anyone who looked at him for too long, he'd had a pretty sheltered life.  
Yet, there he sat; on the train tracks by his new college with a rollup and a lighter. He'd just moved, starting his last year of schooling in a whole different state, and decided that it would be different. The train track wasn't a bad place for his first smoke. It was long abandoned, the wood rotted and the metal brown with thick rust. Weeds sprouted and grew four feet tall as though age crept faster on the narrow tracks. The air was cold, but the sun was warm, and it just stunk of new opportunities.  
Marvin sat for twenty minutes, just staring at the cigarette in his hand. He eventually decided there was no time like the present before slowly lifting it to his lips. It was foreign in his mouth, and his hand quivered as he clicked the lighter.  
Then the thick silence was interrupted.  
"Light my cigarette?"  
Someone had snuck up on him, and Marvin might have been impressed if the rebellious teenager in him hadn't been terrified of being caught. He spun around, almost giving himself whiplash, and studied the newcomer.  
Tall. Handsome. Too handsome to be hanging around abandoned train tracks. Dressed too nicely for that, too. Hair gelled to perfection. A cigarette hanging from strawberry-red lips. Mouth curled into an almost smug smile. Top buttons undone, with the fabric clinging to toned arms, and head cocked to the side.  
Handsome- and devastatingly so.  
But Marvin blinked that thought away. He'd alwayd struggled to accept that part of himself- the part that wondered whether his lips tasted like strawberries, too.  
"Uh, sure," he replied after a second, "wanna sit?"  
"Sure, I'm Whizzer, by the way," the guy- Whizzer- introduced casually.  
"Marvin," he muttered as he held the lighter up.  
They looked at each other for a minute, and Whizzer's eyes seemed to explode. The kid was cute- in a scruffy, odd way- and obviously curious. He seemed new, and the new ones were always fun.  
So, instead of taking the light, he leaned foward and nodded for Marvin to light it for him. There was a second of hesitation before the flame burst to life and the paper end began to burn.  
"Thanks," Whizzer said with a grin, the cigarette still hanging from the corner of his lips. "You're new, right?" Marvin nodded, sighing, "is it that obvious?"  
He laughed, and red crawled up his neck.  
"Unfortunately so."  
"You'll never guess what else," Marvin said after a second, "I've never smoked a cigarette in my life."  
"Less obvious, actually," Whizzer shrugged, "I can show you, if you want?"  
It wasn't Whizzer's job to protect him, after all. People had free will.  
He lived by that.  
"Uhm, okay," he said, but the uncertainty was obvious. Whizzer blew a stream of smoke in his direction, winking flirtatiously.  
"You sure, Marvin?"  
His voice was heavy with faux sweetness and Marvin had to think twice before he answered. The way Whizzer conducted himself alone was captivating, with graceful confidence- he obviously knew that he was devastatingly gorgeous.  
And Marvin didn't know if it bothered him or not.  
"Maybe not today," he said with a sigh.  
Whizzer shrugged, although he hadn't expected anything different. So they sat for a while, flirtatious small talk passing between them. Marvin typically despised small talk, but he'd happily listen to a whole damn weather report from the charming guy next to him. He watched his lips when he spoke, seeing the words twist in his mouth. He hoped it wasn't noticeable.  
It was, but Whizzer didn't say anything.  
Whizzer got through almost two cigarettes before Marvin changed his mind.  
"Could I try some?" He said suddenly, cautiously.  
Whizzer nodded, taking what was left from his lips and leaning over. Rather than let him take it, he pressed it to Marvin's mouth himself. Shock morphed into a jokingly pointed glare.  
He brushed Whizzer's hand away and took a puff himself. Immediately a cough rose to his throat, but he fought it and exhaled instead.  
"Finish it, if you like," Whizzer offered, rising to his feet. He dusted himself off and winked before he turned around. "See ya 'round, Marvin," he said dismissively as he walked away, his smirk lacing his tone.  
Marvin watched him walk, puffing on the cigarette a little too fast.  
He really, really hoped he would see him around.


	2. I Lied To My Mom And Dad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick trigger warning; Marvin has an intrusive thought about suicide involving throwing himself at a car.

Marvin hadn't been able to get Whizzer out of his mind the whole day. The first day at his new college was like the first day of his old one otherwise, but there was an odd feeling in his chest. His lungs ached no matter how deeply he breathed, and professors' lips moved but made no sound, and his pages remained blank.   
He was a little paranoid, though, just in case he smelt like cigarette smoke. At least he lived off-campus and could just go home.   
The day dragged on, and Marvin spent almost every minute wondering whether he really would see Whizzer again.  
Not that it would matter. Marvin wasn't gay. He'd had to break up with his ex-girlfriend; not because he wanted to kiss the guy that worked behind the counter with her at the café she worked part-time at, but because she was smothering and he didn't like her anymore.  
At least, that's what he told himself.   
But Marvin was becoming less sure. The bell woke him up from his dilemma-induced day dream, and he'd never left a room so fast. He pushed through crowds in the hall and out the door. It felt good to breathe again, to be seeing something other than the bland walls of a lecture hall. His throat felt dry and the glowing warmth of the coffee shop near the college called his name.   
He stopped at the edge of the sidewalk and watched the cars. The air rushed past with them, loud and hypnotic. Something about it made Marvin wonder what it would feel like to step out and be hit.   
Would it hurt, or would it provide the relief he'd always been searching for? Would it even matter?  
Intrusive thoughts.  
Not to be elaborated on for more then a moment. He shook his head, clenched his fists, and crossed the road to safety.   
The coffee shop was warm. It was mainly filled with people like him, except many of them had someone else. Couples held hands over steaming cappuccinos. It made him want to gag.   
Picturesque.   
A picture he wanted to burn.  
But he'd rather burn his mouth on hot coffee, so Marvin joined the short line. He turned to look out of the window. The people who walked by all seemed tired, drained; as though simply walking was slowly killing them.   
Marvin understood.   
He ordered, payed, and made his way out as soon as possible. He wanted to go back to the train track.   
Granted, he didn't have any cigarettes left, but something in him needed to go back.  
Besides, he'd bought two coffees. That wasn't unusual for him- he could get through six cups in half an hour- but maybe Whizzer would be there. And maybe Whizzer would like a coffee.   
He felt invisible as he left and started the short path to the tracks. It would have bothered him, but he was too focused on the guy he met that morning, when the sky was grey.   
He still wondered; did his lips taste like strawberries, too?  
As usual, the tracks were abandoned. The sky was brighter, and the birds were louder, but it was still a different world.   
"Hey there, hot stuff," a familiar voice greeted.  
Marvin could hear the smile in his voice even before he turned. He waved, smiling himself, and then patted the space next to him.  
"Uh, hi," Marvin replied, warmth creeping up his neck, "coffee?"   
"Aw, for little ol' me?" Whizzer asked with a fake country drawl.   
Marvin rolled his eyes and held out the cup. It was taken from his hands instantly.  
"Another cigarette?"   
"Uh, no thanks, Whizzer. I think my rebellious phase ended at around 9 this morning," Marvin sighed. He shifted the dirt with the tip of his shoe.   
Whizzer laughed beside him, and he couldn't help but to look up. He looked nice when he laughed. His head fell back and his quiff bounced. His teeth were truly pristine, and Marvin caught himself staring just in time.  
"You think?" Whizzer asked, raising one eyebrow inquisitively.  
"Uh, yeah."  
"Well, I don't-"  
A call came through his phone, and Marvin jumped. He quickly apologised and pulled it from his pocket.  
His parents.  
Probably wondering where he was, or how his first day had gone.  
"Uh, hey, mother," Marvin bit his lip, staring at the floor.   
"Marvin, where are you?" Her voice was crackled as there wasn't good service, but the demand in her tone was worrying. He glanced at Whizzer, with his cigarette and his leather jacket and his strawberry-red lips, and decided he had to lie.  
"I'm just in the library. I'll be home soon."  
"Who are you with?"   
This was meant to catch him out. His mother had always been suspicious of he sexuality. He hoped that, when she found out, she's tell him, because he didn't know himself.  
"Uhm...a girl. A girl from my history class."   
"A girl, huh? What's her name?"  
"Uh...h-her name is, uhm...Lucy!"  
"Lucy?"  
"Yes..."  
"Is she Jewish?"  
Marvin held in a sigh. He kicked some dirt in frustration.  
Whizzer was watching him. He looked nervous, but his voice was almost completely steady- rare for someone telling a big lie.  
A classic closet case.  
"I don't know, mother," he snapped.  
Marvin was clearly irritated now, because his expression had changed. His nervousness had faded into anger. Whizzer studied the way his features sharpened, his jaw clenching and his eyes becoming narrow daggers. Marvin was suddenly much more than a nervous college kid, confused and new to the state, he was a force to be reckoned with.  
"Don't be so-"  
"Listen, I have to go. Lucy needs my help. I'll be home soon. Bye."   
The screen of his phone connected with the dirt as he tossed in. Marvin put his head in his hands, completely lost in his own mind, and sighed heavy enough to move the dust on the wood.  
"Still closeted, huh?"  
"What?" Marvin looked up, his eyes suddenly full of fear.  
"You. You're not out yet, right?"  
"Out..." he repeated, "I..."  
If there was someone to tell, it would be Whizzer, right?  
"Yeah...something like that."   
Whizzer nodded in understanding. He'd lit himself a cigarette already, and puffed in thoughtful silence. Marvin had never been a fan of silence. It found its way under his skin, crawled up his nerves, and started fires in his mind that choked him with thick black smoke.  
Thankfully, Whizzer broke it.  
"I know what you need," he said suddenly, stamping on his cigarette to put it out. "Tomorrow. After college. Here. Tell your parents you're staying at 'Lucy's."  
"What? Why?"  
"Because, Marvin, we're going on an adventure, and you're going to enjoy it."   
"I am?"  
"You are."  
"Okay..."


End file.
